README file for PUNIMAX


PUNIMAX is a computer algebra system which runs in CLISP, a Common Lisp
implementation by Bruno Haible and Michael Stoll.

It is based on MAXIMA, a Common Lisp implementation due to William F.
Schelter at Texas University, which itself is based on the original
implementation of Macsyma at MIT.


Some history:

Macsyma was a project at MIT, started by Joel Moses in 1967. It may be
considered the first "expert system".

William F. Schelter implemented this in Common Lisp (formerly it ran
primarily in Maclisp and Franzlisp) and called it MAXIMA.

Bruno Haible ported this to CLISP and called it PUNIMAX (to make Macsyma Inc.
happy). The port to CLISP consisted in some changes relating to system
specific details (screen I/O, pathnames, errset, startup and such), removal
of all KCL specific stuff, some reorganization of directory structure.


FTP sites:

PUNIMAX is on ma2s2.mathematik.uni-karlsruhe.de [129.13.115.2]:
              /pub/math/punimax/punimax.tar.z
MAXIMA is on rascal.ics.utexas.edu [128.83.138.20]:
             /pub/maxima-4-155.tar.Z
      and on ma2s2.mathematik.uni-karlsruhe.de [129.13.115.2]:
             /pub/lisp/clisp/packages/OLD/maxima.orig.tar.z


INSTALLATION:

First get a license for the MIT Macsyma code, see README.PUNIMAX.

Install CLISP. Put this tree into /usr/local/punimax (or make a symbolic
link), such that this file is /usr/local/punimax/README.

% cd src
% make

This will take a long while. When all went OK, do

% make install


FILES:

src/*         source for building punimax.mem, no more needed when installation
              is complete
src1/*        some autoloaded files
share/*   -+
share1/*   +
share2/*   +  user contributed packages
sharem/*   +
tensor/*  -+
doc/*         documentation, available for the DESCRIBE() command
unused/*      stuff not needed for the CLISP port


DISCLAIMER:

B. Haible, W. Schelter, the University of Texas, and other parties provide
this program on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, either
expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied
warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.


Bruno Haible
haible@ma2s2.mathematik.uni-karlsruhe.de

